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You are here: Home / Shopping Tips / Splurge or Save, Part 2

Splurge or Save, Part 2

October 14, 2016 By Karen Cooper Leave a Comment

So, two weeks ago (last week, I took Friday off for Dear Husband’s and my 15th wedding anniversary!), I talked about how there are some things I splurge on in our home (especially after the cheap Target rug came apart!), and some things I save on. I talked about the things I splurge on in that post, so for today’s Friday Five, Splurge or Save, Part 2, here’s what I save on for our home.

Five things I save on for our home:

(1)  Good quality furniture or decor at second-hand sales.

I love finding good quality furniture on the cheap! I love scouring thrift stores, estate sales, consignment stores, and yard sales to find good furniture at a low price.

vintage chest makeover - thediybungalow.com

– Click on the photo for the “before” and how I transformed it –

I always get so excited when I find something with good bones at a second-hand store!

Vintage chest of drawers - thediybungalow.com

Click on the photo to see how I redid my dining room!

 

Things you can turn into a bar: Industrial kitchen cart into bar cart - thediybungalow.com

(2) Picture frames.

My favorite place to buy picture frames is IKEA!

 

Gallery wall as one of five ways to decorate a big wall - thediybungalow.com

They have good quality frames, and I love the simplicity and clean lines of them. They come in black, white, natural wood, and some come in colors, and they come in every size. I love the black frames with white mats, but, as you can see above, I mix it up with some black and some white frames.

Click here for my favorite solution for framing oddly-shaped art!

(3) Wall art.

I know some may disagree with me on this, but I prefer to save on wall art for our home. I’ve used all kinds of repurposed stuff as art, including architectural plans and – my favorite – a banner my grandmother received for winning a speech tournament in college.

Banner from grandmother winning speech tournament - thediybungalow.com

I have framed maps that I love, and I use my kids’ art throughout our home.

For more “real” art, I love finding paintings or other wall hangings at thrift stores or estate sales. But getting creative with what’s art in your home can save you money!

(4) Storage.

The storage containers in our home – baskets and bins – generally come from one of three places: IKEA, Target, or the dollar store!

Oh, except for the lockers in the kids’ hallway!

Repurposed school lockers for toy storage - thediybungalow.com

I got the lockers at the Habitat for Humanity ReStore, so they were still a bargain (and the purchase was for a good cause)!

Generally, I find that storage containers from discount stores work really well. I’ve even gotten larger storage pieces at IKEA, like this sorter we use for art supplies:

IKEA art supply storage - thediybungalow.com

Click on the photo for how I organized the best pantry ever (!!) in our first house.

For bookcases, I’ve found that yard sales, yard sale pages on Facebook, and thrift stores are good sources. Sometimes they need repainting or refreshing a bit, but the price is right!

How to Dress Up a Yard Sale Bookcase - thediybungalow.com

Click on the photo for how to dress up a yard sale bookcase!

(5) Anything that’s trendy.

Sure, some trends are here to stay (farmhouse style, anyone?). But others don’t stick around. (In fact, remember this Friday Five post about trends that we’re over??)

If you aren’t sure about a trend or you just want to try it out, don’t spend a lot on it.

What would you add to this list? What do you save on for your home?

 

You might also like:

  • Splurge or Save?
    Splurge or Save?
  • Five Things I Always Buy at IKEA
    Five Things I Always Buy at IKEA
  • Five Ways to Refresh Your Decor
    Five Ways to Refresh Your Decor

Filed Under: Decorating, Friday Five, Shopping Tips Leave a Comment

About Karen Cooper

Hi! I'm Karen. I call myself a “recovering lawyer” - I traded in my power suits for power tools and a life of DIY adventures. Join me for DIY, home decorating, repurposing and upcycling, and organizing projects and tips as I transform a 1929 Tudor bungalow into our home. I believe in merging old and new to make a house a home.

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Hi! I’m Karen. I call myself a “recovering lawyer,” because I turned in my power suits for power tools and a life of DIY. This blog is all about DIY, home decorating, repurposing and upcycling, and organization. I believe in merging old and new to make a house a home.




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My Daybed in This Old House Magazine!

Daybed from Old Doors featured in This Old House Magazine
Best of 2016 - Best Blog DIY Category - thediybungalow.com

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About Karen

A "recovering lawyer," I turned in my power suits for power tools and a life of DIY. I believe in merging old and new to make a house a home. Read More…

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